Team Falcons: analysis of the gameplay of The International 2025 champions

Team Falcons, the champions of The International 2025. Over the past year, the team has shown consistent and impressive results, securing top positions and winning major tournaments. The roster confidently ranks among the top 5 strongest teams in the world. In this article, we will break down what makes them so stable and successful for more than one season in a row. We will also take a closer look at the team’s playstyle and reveal the secrets of defeating them in matches against the strongest opponents.

Early game (laning phase)

The early stage of the game for Team Falcons is often built around aggression across all lanes. The team drafts heroes capable of applying pressure from the very first minutes, which perfectly synergizes with their midlaner, Stanislav Malr1ne Potorak. His hero pool rarely includes “greedy” picks, and the uniqueness of his playstyle lies in early aggression that opponents are often unprepared for.

A special role in the early game is played by the supports of positions 4 and 5, Andreas Cr1t- Franck Nielsen and Jingjun Sneyking Wu. They begin moving actively around the map as early as the 4th minute, helping set the tempo and intensify lane pressure. The team’s goal at this stage is to suppress the opponent and take control of the game. Most teams struggle to withstand such pressure, and considering Falcons’ ability to maintain and convert their advantage, it becomes extremely difficult to break their momentum.

It is very rare to see Falcons’ players just sit on lanes and farm passively - the team’s character and playstyle simply don’t allow them to wait and safely accumulate resources. Every movement on the map is aimed at seizing territory, making their early stage maximally aggressive and dynamic.

An example of their aggressive approach is when the midlaner rotates to the wisdom rune at the 7-minute mark, looking to gain an advantage over the opponent right from the early minutes.

Midgame

In the midgame, Team Falcons focus on map control and building their advantage. The squad combines the best elements of other teams’ styles, adapting them to their own players. For example, their play resembles Team Spirit: often the team operates as four, giving their carry, Oliver skiter Lepko, the space to farm. A parallel can also be drawn with the championship roster of Team Liquid at The International 2017, who dominated by controlling half of the enemy’s map and denying resources. Another important element is the stability they’ve adopted from Chinese teams: Falcons will not go high ground or attempt to take down towers without a significant advantage, usually waiting for at least a 10,000 gold lead.

This caution, combined with aggression and territory control, allows them to steadily grow their lead. The tempo in the midgame is set by their midlaner Malr1ne, who frequently plays heroes like Earthshaker, Pangolier, Sand King, or Primal Beast. These heroes can impact fights early with minimal items.

Offlaner Ammar ATF Assaf is equally crucial. He plays aggressively, often farming in the enemy jungle, and acts as the team’s second core, fitting his natural playstyle perfectly. Since both skiter and ATF secure the majority of farm, Malr1ne’s style complements the team ideally.

Supports are usually drafted on team-oriented heroes. For Cr1t on position four, the preference often goes to damage-dealing characters such as Snapfire, Hoodwink, or Ringmaster. On position five, Sneyking is usually given aura or healing heroes that can apply pressure from the early game, like Enchantress, Chen, or Pugna.

It’s impossible to fully ban out Falcons’ comfort heroes, as there simply aren’t enough bans. If Malr1ne’s pool is targeted, Chen or Beastmaster will appear. If both the midlaner and offlaner are restricted, options like Medusa or Abaddon will still come through. Playing against Falcons is always a challenge - unlike other teams that may experiment with new drafts, Falcons will not give away wins easily.

Late game

The late game is Team Falcons’ strongest stage. It is extremely difficult to beat them once the match reaches this phase, since they usually build a massive advantage during the midgame, which by late game often grows into a 20–30k gold lead. Essentially, they “buy” themselves a victory. Playing against this style is tough: the opponent is restricted in map space for the entire game. By the late game, this pressure forces mistakes, as enemies desperately try to farm while forgetting about caution - but by that time, Sneyking has already set up wards to catch them off guard.

In the late game, the focus shifts to skiter. The team gives him time to farm during the midgame, and in the late game he becomes the centerpiece. As mentioned earlier, the Falcons’ playstyle resembles that of the Chinese region: the team can extend their advantage without taking unnecessary fights, leaving no room for a comeback. They usually go high ground only with a 20–30k gold lead and an Aegis of the Immortal on their carry.

A clear example of this late-game style was game four of the The International 2025 Grand Final against Xtreme Gaming. By the 30th minute, Falcons had already amassed a 20k gold lead, but they continued to build their advantage and patiently waited for Roshan. Only at minute 33, with an Aegis secured, did the team move to the high ground. Remarkably, the kill score at that moment was just 13–3. In that match, they also picked Ursa for ATF in the offlane.

This game is worth rewatching to fully appreciate the team’s mastery.

Economy, farming, and the core principle of play

So how do Team Falcons manage to build such a massive lead? The key to their success is aggressive play, which allows them to control almost the entire map. The players distribute farm very clearly: the entire big jungle and side lanes are secured for skiter, who remains untouched while the rest of the team creates chaos across the map. ATF, as the offlaner, takes his safe share, part of the enemy jungle, and side lanes. For safety, Sneyking or Cr1t are almost always nearby, and when needed, they also farm a few camps. The mid lane is controlled by Malr1ne, who often invades the opponent’s jungle. In tougher matches, the midlaner takes the safe lane while the offlaner rotates to the side lanes.

This way, every Falcons player farms, leaving only lanes and a handful of camps for the enemy. Minute by minute, the advantage grows, and reclaiming territory becomes harder. The key to beating Falcons may lie in either matching their pace with equally active heroes or playing a mirror game: giving up your jungle while taking the enemy’s to cut off skiter’s space. It’s also crucial to deny Malr1ne’s best heroes, like Sand King and Earthshaker, or consistently block the ancient camp.

Picking the strongest heroes of the current meta, adapting their own playstyle, stacking neutrals, invading enemy territory, and early aggression are the pillars of Falcons’ strategy. But taking all these factors into account and executing a counter-strategy against the strongest team in the world is an almost impossible task.

Performances at major tournaments over the past year

За последний год Team Falcons стабильно входят в топ на всех крупных турнирах и зачастую становятся чемпионами:

• September 2025 – champions of The International 2025
• August – 1st place at FISSURE Universe: Episode 6
• July – 2nd place at Riyadh Masters 2025
• May 2025 – 2nd place at BLAST SLAM III
• February – 2nd place at FISSURE PLAYGROUND
• October 2024 – champions of DreamLeague Season 24
• October – another title at BetBoom Dacha Belgrade 2024

At The International 2025, the team had an average performance in the group stage but managed to secure a spot in the Playoffs. There, the future champions didn’t lose a single series, advancing through the upper bracket all the way to the Grand Final, where they faced Xtreme Gaming and, after a tense five-game battle, claimed the championship title.

Following the final, the team’s coach Curtis Aui_2000 Daniel became a three-time TI champion - once as a player and twice as a coach, while skiter and Sneyking earned their second TI victories. At this point, Falcons are considered one of the best teams in the world, and the players are determined to prove that status again in the upcoming season.